Xiaoshan King Ksitigarbha Temple

Xiaoshan King Ksitigarbha Temple

Xiaoshan King Ksitigarbha Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Hangzhou City.

King Ksitigarbha Temple, located on Hangwu Mountain in Guali Town, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, was first built in the sixth year of the Xining era of the Song Dynasty (1073). The eminent monk Master Wuneng came here to seek a dwelling place, found this auspicious site, built a thatched hut as a hermitage, and practiced asceticism in solitude for three years.

At the time, Buddhism in southern Fujian was in decline and monks had no proper dwellings for spiritual practice. Eminent monks from various renowned monasteries traveled across the land in search of an auspicious site to settle. In the early Ming Dynasty, the Tiantai monk Master Yuantong and his disciple Jizhao came here and built another thatched hut to enshrine the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. It was then named Ksitigarbha Hermitage. Every year during the seventh lunar month, the temple attracted numerous pilgrims, gaining fame across regions such as Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Xiaoshan. More and more monks came to stay, and the incense offerings flourished.

History

On the thirtieth day of the seventh lunar month in the fifth year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, two eminent monks from Tiantai’s Fangguang Temple—Faben and Fazhong—came here and found the thatched hut peaceful and suitable for practice. They stayed and made it their dwelling. That same year, it was renamed King Ksitigarbha Temple, marking the lineage of the twenty-second and twenty-third generations of authentic transmission. The existing stone stele records this. On the thirtieth day of the seventh lunar month in the ninth year of Qianlong, Ksitigarbha was said to have revealed a sacred presence, emanating a radiant light of compassion. Over a thousand worshippers visited, prompting large-scale construction: the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Mahavira Hall, the Abbot’s Quarters, the Dining Hall, and over ninety other halls and chambers were built, ushering in the temple’s golden age. In the sixth year of the Tongzhi era, it was destroyed by the Taiping Rebellion but was soon restored. By the seventeenth year of the Republic of China (1928), the Buddhist statues were removed and it was converted into the Dongxiang Autonomous Council Forest Bureau. In the twentieth year of the Republic of China (1931), the temple was revived.

Scenic Spots within the Temple

After 1949, the number of monks at King Ksitigarbha Temple gradually decreased. In 1956, the temple was hit by a typhoon, causing dozens of halls to collapse completely. All the monks left, except for the abbot Venerable Xianmei, who remained until he passed away in the temple on June 29, 1985. In 1986, Venerable Benyi arrived from Hangzhou’s Shangtianzhu Temple and reopened the monastery, focusing primarily on the Water and Land Dharma Assembly. Over the next twelve years, thanks to donations from patrons, one hundred and nine buildings of various sizes were constructed, including the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Ksitigarbha Hall, the Hall of Three Saints, the Inner Altar for Water and Land Rituals, the Dining Hall, and guest rooms. In January 1997, the Hangzhou Municipal Government officially approved the reopening of the temple. In early 1998, the Xiaoshan Municipal Government gave approval for the construction of the Mahavira Hall. The temple is surrounded by mountains on three sides, covered in lush trees, and faces an open vista directly overlooking the Qiantang River—offering beautiful scenery. Within the grounds are two ancient camphor trees over a thousand years old, so thick that four people cannot encircle them with outstretched arms. There is also the "Luosi Spring," whose waters are crystal clear and never dry. On Frost Edge Mountain stands the "Hundred-Zhang Rock," which resembles a stone Buddha standing among the pines. On the hillside is the Lion Rock, shaped like a reclining lion. Other sites include the "Chicken Cage Stone" and the Ming Dynasty stone structure known as the "Paper Burning Pavilion." Throughout all seasons, pilgrims continue to visit the temple.

Guali Town: In accordance with the “Reply of the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province on the Adjustment of Partial Administrative Divisions in Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City” (Zhe Zheng Han [2013] No. 123) and the relevant regulations on administrative division adjustments, the following approval is hereby given:

Approval is granted to revoke the administrative structures of Guali Town, Kansi Town, and Dangshan Town, and to merge them into a new Guali Town. This town will govern 11 communities and 63 administrative villages, with the town government located at No. 220 Hangwu Road.

A town under the jurisdiction of Xiaoshan City. Established as Guali Town in 1951, it was incorporated into Hongqi Commune in 1958, reinstated as Guali Town in 1961, and in 1992 merged with Dayuan, Zhaodong, and Guali... More detailed information about Guali Town++